Memories Destroyed

Fire destroyed a shed at the Gary and Bonnie Poginy property in Irasburg yesterday, taking with it many family memories. Photo by Christopher Roy

IRASBURG – Fire flattened a storage shed and destroyed irreplaceable memories at the Gary and Bonnie Poginy home yesterday.
The fire at Stagecoach Road property broke out at around noon. Jamie Royer, who lives at the home, arrived just as the fire broke out. He said the whole thing was gone in five minutes. The shed previously held the family’s horses, but it more recent years the Royers used it for storage. Snowmobiles and family mementos belonging to deceased family members were some of the items lost the in fire.
The family did have insurance on the shed that members built together.
“It could have been a lot worse,” said Bonnie Royer with a sad look on her face as she looked at the smoldering remains. “It could have been our home.”
Irasburg Fire Chief Robin Beaton blames the fire on an electrical issue. The only thing plugged in on the inside the shed was the control unit for an underground electric fence. The Royers installed the fence about a year ago. The fire is not suspicious, Beaton said.
The Orleans Fire Department provided mutual-aid at the scene. In all, 25 firefighters and six trucks responded to the scene. Firefighters cleared the scene by 1:30 p.m.